POPULARITY
Discovering deeper levels of joy - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are those moments in your faith journey that allowed you to discover new levels of joy? What is the greater joy that Jesus wants to open up for you now? In what aspects would you describe yourself as humble and teachable? Are there other aspects in which you are not so childlike?
Why did Jesus rebuked the cities He visited? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are some of the signs and graces that God has given you in recent times? How have you taken advantage of those for your spiritual growth? Is it a temptation for you to reject a message that comes from the Lord because of the imperfection of the message-bearers? Why would Jesus want to still use those messengers, even when their human weakness could pose a challenge?
On humility and personal dignity - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How does pride manifest itself in your life? In what concrete ways is Jesus inviting you to be like a child, and walk humbly with him?
Why did Jesus place such demands on those He called? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Which of the three challenges of Jesus speaks to your situation? How would the Lord want you to see your calling to be his disciple in relation to other commitments?
Jesus as a model of fortitude - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What do you find especially inspiring in Christ's strength of character? In which situations would the Lord invite you to be more patient? In which situations would He invite you to be more assertive and resolute?
Can anything good come from Nazareth? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Is your view of the world highly critical and negative? Why is that? What would Jesus praise in you, if you happened to be in Nathanael's place? What is the Lord's outlook on the world like? Who are the good messengers that Christ has placed in your path, to guide you and protect you?
The parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Does this parable help you identify something that Jesus wants you to address in your life? Can you verify that the separation between light and darkness starts in this life, at times even inside your own heart? Why does Jesus defend the sufficiency of faith?
Understanding the significance of the cross - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are there areas of faith or areas of your heart in which you don't want to enter? Why would Jesus want you to learn about the wisdom of the cross? What is his purpose in teaching you about it?
Why doesn't God change things more forcefully? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you recognize in our world the signs of the same impatience Christ had to deal with? Why did God choose to do things the way He did? How are you faring with God's patience, with the fact that He will give you the light you need, but won't immediately remove the obstacles you find around you and inside of you?
The ambivalence of the human heart - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Why do you think Herod wanted to see Jesus? In what sense do you think Herod was and wasn't free? How do you see yourself reflected in the ambivalence of Herod's soul?
The careful formation of the disciples - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you see this dynamic at work in your own life? Who were your mentors and guides? How have you been formed and sent? What is Jesus showing you through these lines of the gospel?
Bonds arising from new life in Christ - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Is Jesus inviting you to assert the precedence of his calling in an area in which that precedence is challenged by others? How can you tell whether you follow some lifeless principles, or the living Law that is the person of Jesus?
Why are we asked not to hide our faith? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what situations are you tempted to hide the light? And how could you shine your light before others? Have you noticed in your own experience that virtuous cycle, of being receptive to God's word, sharing it, and growing from it?
Why did Jesus praise the dishonest steward? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What lessons in shrewdness can you learn from the steward? How is someone's life different, depending on whether they adore wealth or they use it?
What could get us spiritually stuck? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What type of soil are you? When you receive some direction from the Lord, what is the outcome? Is something keeping those graces from bearing fruit?
The possibility of living for God as a new reality established by Christ - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Has something new been enabled in your life, or in people around you, because of Christ's proclamation? What has the Lord provided for you through the presence of consecrated people in your life?
Why repentance is different from shame - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Have you experienced the difference between shame and contrition? In what situations would Jesus challenge your pride, and invite you to have a truer view of the big picture? How would Jesus want you to express your love for him and for others?
God's case against fallen humanity - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Have you been tempted to find fault with God's ways? Why do you think God may have emphasized one side of the coin or the other, in your own case? What was key for you to recognize his ways in your life?
Miracles that go beyond natural outcomes - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What traits of the heart of Jesus do you perceive in this account? Can you think of an instance of a spiritual resurrection? What is the Lord trying to convey to you through these miracles?
Lessons from Mary at the foot of the cross - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What do you learn by imagining the face of Mary, the soul of Mary at the foot of the cross? How can you be more deeply united with Christ, so that his joys and sorrows will be yours? Why does Jesus want you to receive Mary as your mother?
How to understand the cross - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What does the Lord want to show you through the mystery of the cross? How could some trials become the occasion for God's light to be manifested? What crosses have resulted from your faithfulness to Christ?
Can we just classify people into these two categories? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what aspects of your life do you see good fruits, stemming from the goodness of your heart? Have you seen the good movements of God's grace in you become solid after acting on them? What areas of your heart may need to be brought in greater alignment with the direction Jesus has given to your life?
What is spiritual blindness about? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are some of your blind spots? How has Jesus helped you see more clearly in the past? What are some of the disciplines that help your vision remain unclouded?
Replicate the love you have received from God - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.When have you experienced God's love in your life? Have you ever witnessed this kind of love in others, or even received it from someone you treated like an enemy? What are the steps that Jesus would encourage you to take to imitate this higher love?
The significance of the beatitudes and woes - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Where does your heart usually go? What are the things you think about the most? What does usually cause changes in your mood? What is it that you most admire in people who live by the beatitudes? What step could you take today to draw closer to that ideal?
Why did Jesus establish the Church? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What calls your attention about this election of the Twelve? In what ways do you think that Jesus wants to shine his light through you? What would the Lord want you to do to be faithful to the mission He has for you in this life?
What we can learn from Jesus' lineage - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Can you imagine what Jesus would have said to some of these patriarchs and ancestors as they went through difficult times? What will the Lord say to you one day when you both look back at your current situation? What are the good things that Jesus wants you to draw from the trials, the dreams, the expectations of the present moment?
What did Jesus mean by saying we should “hate father and mother”? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Why do you think Jesus wants to make you aware of the challenges involved in being a disciple? Are you tempted at times to trade good conscience for security? What are some steps that Jesus would want you to take, so as to be strengthened for greater challenges?
Does the sabbath have significance for a Catholic? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How are you honoring the Lord's day? How could you use it better? How should you set boundaries around the demands of work? How can Jesus' interpretation of the law help you, in the way He teaches us to balance things, and to see them in their right proportion?
Why didn't Jesus' disciples pray and fast as much as others? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What would it feel like to walk with Christ? In what ways do you imagine that that interaction with him would resemble prayer and fasting? In what ways would it be different? How would that ongoing interaction with Christ accomplish the fruits of prayer and fasting even more intensely than those disciplines?
The calling of Simon - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How does this passage illumine your own encounter with Christ? Have you perceived in your own life how it is that knowledge of Christ and self-knowledge grow together? Have you seen the miraculous fruitfulness that takes place when you act at the Lord's command? What's the mission field Jesus has in mind for you?
How did Jesus manage his time? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How well are you balancing the different aspects of your life? Are there any destabilizing or intoxicating forces in your life, things that tend to take you off balance? What helps you regain your sense of purpose? How does Jesus' example help you in this regard?
Do demons have faith? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What calls your attention about Christ's authority? Have you experienced the power of Christ's authority in your own life, in how He has strengthened you or delivered you?
How could people of Nazareth reject Jesus? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How does that battle of competing interpretations play out in your own case? What are the human factors that explain who you are? And then, what are those aspects of your life that you have discovered through faith, and can only be accounted for as a result of God's power?
On pride and humility - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What manifestations of pride have you detected in your life in recent times? How is Jesus inviting you to grow in humility? How do you picture yourself loving in a more selfless way?
The parable of the talents - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What talents has the Lord entrusted you with? Can you reconnect with your passion for making those grow? What are the fears and obstacles you'll have to overcome to multiply your talents?
On true greatness and freedom - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What kind of ideal is Jesus presenting to you in the profile of this great prophet? Through this depiction of Herod's life, is there something the Lord wants you to steer away from?
What does it take to lead others in the faith? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you sense you are accountable to the Lord and to others in the way you conduct yourself? Would you need to grow in the ways of faith, or in the ways of prudence? Who are the ones Jesus is asking you to watch over? How are you guiding them, and what is the proper food they need at this time?
The danger of mistaking the voices of society for conscience - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Am I giving in to this temptation to some extent, caring too much for how people view me, while neglecting how I am walking before God? Is my admiration for the saints consistent with my openness to the voice of God directed to me by the saints and prophets in my own time?
The capacity to look into our spiritual blind spots - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What aspect of Jesus' character do you find especially inspiring, as it stands in contrast with a hypocritical attitude? What is the Lord inviting you to work on?
A twisted understanding of religion - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you see any of these problems being a possible distortion of your faith life? When do those symptoms surface and why? What is the Lord saying to you in this regard?
Will only a few people be saved? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How is it that Jesus combines being merciful and demanding? Why do you think He needs to keep both elements together? How is Jesus inviting you to work in your own salvation? How have you grown stronger already? What do you still lack?
What does it mean we are not supposed to call anyone “father”? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.To what extent have good leaders been key in your own faith journey? Do you see situations in which you or others could be giving too much importance to those faith leaders, in a way that is not healthy or helpful? If you are responsible for others, are you exercising that responsibility in a spirit of humility and service?
Why was the question on the greatest commandment a test? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How central is friendship with God to your own life? How would you assess your love for people around you? And where does that love spring from?
The parable of the wedding guests - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are the obstacles people need to overcome to respond to God's call? What are some excuses that are used to justify our rebellion against God? How is Jesus asking you to respond?
The parable of the laborers of the last hour - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What does Christ's invitation to work in his vineyard mean for you? Do you experience it as a blessing or as a burden? What is the true motivation for serving him that Jesus wants you to find?
The spiritual danger of possessions - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are there things you need to be more detached from? Think of situations in which being detached from material things has helped you grow spiritually. Have you experienced the grace of a higher love that helped you become more detached?
The calling of the rich young man - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Has your faith in Christ helped you grow in your sense of orientation, morally speaking? What has helped you, or could help you, discover the commandments as a path of freedom? Have you ever encountered Jesus, or someone who reflected Jesus to you, in such manner that you discovered a deeper way to live the commandments?
Why did Jesus say He didn't come to bring peace but division? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are there unnecessary conflicts in your life, conflicts that Jesus would want you to eliminate? On the other hand, are you avoiding tensions or conflicts that you shouldn't avoid if you want to keep the fire of your mission and your identity alive in your heart?
Why is Jesus' blessing of children significant? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Why is this gesture of Jesus significant to you? What does Jesus want you to rediscover through it?